Marine Mammals; File No. 21431, 50121-50122 [2017-23512]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 208 / Monday, October 30, 2017 / Notices The effective date of the continuation of the Order will be the date of publication in the Federal Register of this notice of continuation. Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act, the Department intends to initiate the next five-year review of the Order not later than 30 days prior to the fifth anniversary of the effective date of continuation. This five-year sunset review and this notice are in accordance with section 751(c) of the Act and published pursuant to section 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(f)(4). Dated: October 25, 2017. Gary Taverman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. [FR Doc. 2017–23537 Filed 10–27–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE member roles and responsibilities, and discuss processes for public participation and reporting to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies. The meeting agenda also includes time to scope discussion topics for the Spring 2018 annual meeting; those topics should further the SSPT’s objective of identifying information gaps or underutilized social science data collections, and strategizing to improve information resources over the mediumto long-term. The Agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will be posted at https://www.npfmc.org/committees/ social-science-planning-team/. Special Accommodations The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Shannon Gleason at (907) 271–2809 at least 7 working days prior to the meeting date. Dated: October 25, 2017. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XF795 [FR Doc. 2017–23530 Filed 10–27–17; 8:45 am] North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting BILLING CODE 3510–22–P National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of telephonic meeting. AGENCY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Social Science Plan Team will meet telephonically on November 14, 2017. DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Alaska Time. ADDRESSES: Teleconference only: (888) 456–5038; Participant passcode: 8480290. Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 605 W. 4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501–2252; telephone: (907) 271–2809. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sam Cunningham, Council staff; telephone: (907) 271–2809. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XF787 sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: Agenda Tuesday, November 14, 2017 The Social Science Planning Team (SSPT) will hold an organizational teleconference in advance of its inaugural annual meeting that will occur in Spring 2018. SSPT will elect an executive officer, establish contributing VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:59 Oct 27, 2017 Jkt 244001 Marine Mammals; File No. 21431 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that Gregory Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D., Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30313, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). SUMMARY: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or before November 29, 2017. ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for review by selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species (APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 21431 from the list of available applications. DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 50121 These documents are also available upon written request or by appointment in the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376. Written comments on this application should be submitted to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713–0376, or by email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please include File No. 21431 in the subject line of the email comment. Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be appropriate. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shasta McClenahan or Amy Hapeman, (301) 427–8401. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216). The applicant requests a five-year permit to assess individual, population, and comparative perspectives of bottlenose dolphin health in the Indian River lagoon and Mantanzas River, Florida. Up to 40 adult or juvenile bottlenose dolphins per year would be captured, sampled, and released for health assessments. Procedures for captured dolphins would include morphometrics, biological sampling (skin and blubber biopsy, blood, mucus membrane swabs, fecal, and urine), ultrasound, tooth extraction, and marking (freeze-brand or roto tag). Dolphins would only be sampled once per year. An additional 400 bottlenose dolphins may be harassed each year during vessel surveys for photography, videography, counts, and behavioral observations. Two unintentional mortalities may occur due to capture over the life of the permit. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the E:\FR\FM\30OCN1.SGM 30OCN1 50122 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 208 / Monday, October 30, 2017 / Notices application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors. Dated: October 24, 2017. Julia Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2017–23512 Filed 10–27–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Patent and Trademark Office [Docket No.: PTO–P–2017–0036] Expanded Collaborative Search Pilot Program United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) conducted two separate Collaborative Search Pilot Programs (CSPs) during the period of 2015 through 2017. One of these programs was conducted with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the other with the Korean Intellectual Patent Office (KIPO). Improvements in patent quality and examination pendency were identified as positive outcomes from these two original CSPs. Building on the success of these two programs, the USPTO is participating in a new, expanded CSP (Expanded CSP) in which applicants may request that multiple partnering Intellectual Property (IP) offices exchange search results for their counterpart applications prior to formulating and issuing their office actions. In Expanded CSP, each designated partner IP office will independently conduct a prior art search for its corresponding counterpart application. The search results will then be exchanged between the designated partner IP office(s) and the USPTO before any IP office issues an office action. By this exchange of search results, the examiners in all designated partner IP offices will have a more comprehensive set of prior art references to consider when making initial patentability determinations. In addition to changing the number of IP offices that may be providing search results to the USPTO, Expanded CSP provides applicants with more flexibility by not requiring that applicants follow the procedures of the First Action Interview Pilot Program (FAI). Expanded CSP will allow the USPTO to study the impact on examination processes resulting from exchanges of search results between the sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:59 Oct 27, 2017 Jkt 244001 USPTO and multiple partner IP offices prior to formulating and issuing office actions. DATES: Under Expanded CSP, the USPTO and partner IP offices will each accept requests to participate from November 1, 2017, through November 1, 2020, and each IP office will not grant more than 400 requests per year per partner office. The offices may extend the pilot program (with or without modification), if necessary. Each office reserves the right to withdraw from the program at any time. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Inquiries regarding the handling of any specific application participating in the pilot may be directed to Daniel Hunter, Director of International Work Sharing, Planning, and Implementation, Office of International Patent Cooperation, by telephone at (571) 272–8050. Any inquiries regarding this pilot program can be emailed to csp@uspto.gov. Inquiries concerning this notice may be directed to Joseph F. Weiss, Jr., Senior Legal Advisor, Office of Patent Legal Administration, by phone (571) 272– 7759. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background: The USPTO is continually looking for ways to improve the quality of issued patents and to promote work sharing with other IP offices throughout the world. Work sharing benefits applicants by promoting compact prosecution, reducing pendency, and supporting patent quality by reducing the likelihood of inconsistencies in patentability determinations (not predicated upon differences in national patent laws) between IP offices. The USPTO has launched numerous work sharing pilot programs, including the recently completed CSPs with JPO and KIPO. In these completed CSPs, the participating offices implemented administrative procedures to facilitate work sharing between the USPTO and a single designated partner IP office in the form of sharing search results of related counterpart applications. Feedback from the completed CSPs showed sufficiently positive benefits to justify expanding CSP to permit work sharing between the USPTO and more than one designated partner IP office for the same U.S. application. The USPTO will cooperate in an Expanded CSP to determine whether exchanging the results from searches independently performed by multiple IP offices, which occur substantially simultaneously, also increases the efficiency and quality of patent examination. This Expanded CSP is designed so that this exchange of search PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 results would occur prior to the IP offices making initial patentability determinations. The current partner IP offices for the Expanded CSP are JPO and KIPO. The USPTO will announce future partner IP offices when they are designated. Currently, applicants in the USPTO having U.S. applications with claims of foreign priority may have search results and prior art cited to them by the foreign IP office during pendency of their U.S. applications. Often, applicants submit the prior art after examination on the merits is already underway in their U.S. application. Upon evaluation of the search results and cited prior art, the U.S. examiner may determine that the prior art cited by the foreign office is relevant to patentability and merits being used in further examination before making a final determination on patentability of the pending claims. This delay caused by further examination results in additional cost to applicants and the USPTO that could have been avoided if the U.S. examiner was in possession of the foreign office’s search results before commencing examination of the U.S. application. Furthermore, in light of the USPTO’s various expedited examination programs, the possibility exists that a U.S. application may reach final disposition before the applicant is in receipt of a foreign office’s search results. The exchange of search results between IP offices before an initial determination on patentability should increase efficiency and promote patent examination quality. In order to study the benefits of the exchange of search results between multiple IP offices, current USPTO examination practice will be modified for applications in Expanded CSP so that a search will be conducted and search results generated, without issuance of an Office action. The U.S. applications in Expanded CSP will also be ‘‘made special’’ pursuant to USPTO procedures to ensure that they are contemporaneously searched with their corresponding counterpart applications. In the original version of the CSP, the USPTO required the use of the First Action Interview Pilot Program (FAI), which bifurcated the prior art search from issuance of an Office action. The USPTO has determined that it is unnecessary to require applicants participating in Expanded CSP to use FAI procedures. Instead, applications in Expanded CSP will be accorded special status prior to first action on the merits (FAOM) and prior art references provided through the exchange of search results will be included in the FAOM. E:\FR\FM\30OCN1.SGM 30OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 208 (Monday, October 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50121-50122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23512]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF787


Marine Mammals; File No. 21431

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Gregory Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D., 
Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30313, has 
applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on bottlenose 
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before November 29, 2017.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the 
``Features'' box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File 
No. 21431 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above. 
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or by 
email to [email protected]. Please include File No. 21431 in 
the subject line of the email comment.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the 
address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on this application would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shasta McClenahan or Amy Hapeman, 
(301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations governing the 
taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant requests a five-year permit to assess individual, 
population, and comparative perspectives of bottlenose dolphin health 
in the Indian River lagoon and Mantanzas River, Florida. Up to 40 adult 
or juvenile bottlenose dolphins per year would be captured, sampled, 
and released for health assessments. Procedures for captured dolphins 
would include morphometrics, biological sampling (skin and blubber 
biopsy, blood, mucus membrane swabs, fecal, and urine), ultrasound, 
tooth extraction, and marking (freeze-brand or roto tag). Dolphins 
would only be sampled once per year. An additional 400 bottlenose 
dolphins may be harassed each year during vessel surveys for 
photography, videography, counts, and behavioral observations. Two 
unintentional mortalities may occur due to capture over the life of the 
permit.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that 
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the

[[Page 50122]]

application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of 
Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: October 24, 2017.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-23512 Filed 10-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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